My Funny Valentine
by agentk-008
Summary: From the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. What will Steph do for Valentines day this year? Reworked the last chapter and will be finishing it soon hopefully.
1. The Case

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of them. Although sometimes I wish I owned Ranger. Yum . . . anyway. I don't have enough money to sue anyway. The title has nothing to with the song in fact I don't think I've ever heard the song . . . but I digress. Please review. It boosts my ego.  
  
My Funny Valentine  
  
PROLOGUE  
  
Mondays are a terrible way to spend one seventh of your life. This particular Monday was worse though. As I drove to work I tried not to look at the pink and red hearts pasted in windows and the signs proclaiming that my least favorite holiday, Valentines Day, would be here in four days. Valentines Day is only worth celebrating if you have someone to enjoy it with. The last couple of years Morelli and I spent it like any other date, a fast food dinner and incredible sex. There were no candles, no roses, no romance. But even that would be welcome compared to a night alone watching romantic movies and eating leftovers with Rex and Bob. Morelli didn't react well when I told him about my night with Ranger. I knew he wouldn't. But I couldn't not tell him. Some part of me hoped that he would forgive and forget, not the realistic part, but some part. At least I waited till after Christmas.  
  
I didn't expect much when I got to the office, and I wasn't disappointed. Apparently everyone was taking Valentines day off, even the criminals. This is a problem for me. My bills are more than I can afford, not to mention those pesky little extras like food and rent. The last time I was in this kind of trouble I asked Ranger for help. Unfortunately Ranger was out of town, just like he had been since before Christmas. The first time he disappeared like this, back when I had just met him, I didn't worry about him. He's a tough guy and he can take care of himself, right? But now he's a friend, sometimes more, and a coworker. I wonder where he is and I know it's probably not safe, and I worry. But it's Christmastime and he's probably with his daughter. So if Ranger's out of town, who am I gonna call for a job? Tank, of course! Aside from his tendency to throw people out of windows he's actually really nice.  
  
Last year, while Ranger was out of town, Tank called me for assistance on a takedown. Basically it was a distraction job. I'm not sure if Tank put my name back on to the employee roster at Rangeman, but I've been working with him and the other guys ever since. Of course it's only been at times when Ranger's out of town. Tank also asked me not to mention it to Ranger. I try not to think too hard about it. I like working with Tank, he's not as closed lipped as Ranger about his life. He's happily married with twin boys. I got back into my car, this one had lasted the longest, and dialed Tank's number.  
  
"Yo." All of Ranger's men answered their phones that way. They'd also taken to calling me bombshell after that stupid article in the paper.  
  
"Yo yourself. I need a job or two."  
  
"What kind of job bombshell?"  
  
"Any kind. What have you got?"  
  
"Well, the sheik's back in town."  
  
"Pass, what else?"  
  
"I do have a skip that needs a little distracting. Think you're up to being my girlfriend?" I recognized the tone in his voice. All of Ranger's guys flirted. I was learning to deal with it, I even got in a few good responses once in a while.  
  
"I don't know Tank. You think you could handle me?"  
  
"Depends on what you mean by handle." See, now I was out of witty comebacks.  
  
"How much does it pay?"  
  
"150 for me, 5 for you."  
  
"Thousand!? That's a lot of money for just a distraction. Will it be dangerous?"  
  
"For me or for you?"  
  
"Me."  
  
"Probably not. All you have to do is dress sexy, play dumb, and duck when I tell you to." Duck! Was he joking? Maybe.  
  
"Will I be getting shot at?"  
  
"Nah . . . like I said, you should be perfectly safe."  
  
"Do I bring my gun?"  
  
"No. The place we're going will be covered. Don't worry bombshell. You'll be as safe as I can make you." That was comforting. Tank was as good as Ranger, so he could keep me pretty safe.  
  
"Okay, when?"  
  
"Tomorrow night, six. Remember bombshell, sexy." Then he hung up. I wonder what Tank's wife, Suzie, would think of me playing his girlfriend. She'd probably laugh her ass off. What would Ranger think? And the thing that really bothered me, who would believe I was Tank's girlfriend. 


	2. Again?

DISCLAIMER: SEE CH 1. Basically I don't own 'em never will. * sigh *  
  
CHAPTER ONE  
  
It's 5:30 and I'm pacing the living room floor. Since there were no skips to pick up I decided to sleep in today . . . until 2:00 when my mother called and woke me up with the obligatory dinner invitation. I informed her that I was working tonight, which is true, technically. She in turn told me that she'd stopped by the button factory and picked up an application for me. I then dedicated the next three-and-a-half hours to looking as sexy as possible. In light of my newfound wealth I went out and bought a few items. Number one on the list being a hair straightener. If anyone in the burg found out I would have to change my name and move to California, but my hair actually looked good straight. No self-respecting burg girl would wear her hair straight, but then again I'm not really the typical burg girl. That took an hour considering they don't tell you on the box that the stupid thing will suck all the moisture out of your hair. Then I had to decide what to wear. Surprisingly that didn't take long, considering I only have a few elegant dresses also considered sexy. I chose the little black number I had been to chicken to wear to the wedding and I wore the black FMP's I had to go with it. Another thing on the list were pantyhose, the regular skin tone ones. My legs were freshly shaved and I had on so much Mascara I was afraid I would topple over. I smelled good and I looked good, I was also starving. I had decided to forgo all food so that I would be able to fit into the dress. It had worked, but I was starting to realize what a mistake I had made. Who knows where we're going, or how long it will take to get there! I won't be much good to Tank if I'm passed out from low blood sugar will I? I need just a little something to hold me over until we get to the restaurant.  
  
I had just finished with half of a ham sandwich when Tank knocked on my door. When I opened it I had to stop myself from letting out a whistle. He looked good. He was wearing a black suit, obviously tailored because of his size, with a maroon dress shirt, the kind with the black button and the mock turtleneck instead of a collar and tie.  
  
"Damn bombshell, I think you'd better go back in and change." I looked down at the dress. Was there something wrong with it?  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because you're supposed to be my girlfriend, and I would never let any woman of mine out of the house looking this good." I'm sure I blushed five shades of red.  
  
"Thanks, you look pretty good yourself."  
  
"Pretty good?! I look damn good and I know it! C'mon," he smiled and held out his arm to me, "You and this arm gonna get to know each other real well. I don't want you leavin' it for the rest of the night." He winked at me and I had to laugh. Yep, I was as safe as I was going to get, from the bad guys anyway.  
  
This guy was extra flirtatious the whole car ride. When he put his arm around my shoulders I had to say something.  
  
"Tank, what would your wife say?"  
  
"Honey, tonight I don't have a wife."  
  
"What did Suzie say when you told her that?"  
  
"I'm pretty sure I'm sleeping on the couch for the next week."  
  
"That's what I thought." He pulled the car into a driveway, but I didn't recognize the restaurant. I looked at the clock and realized that we had been driving for over an hour. We could be anywhere. It was a little strange, but I trusted Tank, and I really needed the 5,000. So in I went. Tank was a perfect Gentlemen. He opened the doors, took my coat, and pretended not to notice when my jaw dropped at the prices on the menu. He toned down the flirting and we had a decent conversation, considering the only things we had in common were bounty hunting and Ranger.  
  
What happened next was kind of a blur. Our skip was supposed to be having dinner with us but something must have gone wrong. He must have recognized me from one of the newspaper articles. Tank told me later that he thought we would be far enough away from Trenton for me to be recognized. I remember hearing gunshots and feeling Tank slam into my side. A sharp pain shot all the way up my arm. It wasn't until the firefight was over and the ambulance got there that I realized the sharp pain had been a bullet wound, and not just Tank's massive body hitting mine. They must have sedated me because the next thing I remember is being in a hospital bed with Tank, Bobby, and Lester watching over me.  
  
"Hey bombshell."  
  
"Hey."  
  
"Hey, how are you feeling?" They all spoke at once and I could barely tell who said what. I looked at Tank.  
  
"You said I wouldn't get shot at."  
  
"I'm so sorry Steph." He looked like he felt bad enough so I decided to forgive him. I mean I wasn't feeling so bad, especially with all the painkillers. In fact I was actually liking the floaty feeling I was having. I was thinking that maybe this getting shot thing wasn't so bad after all. That flesh wound I had a while back had hurt a lot more.  
  
" 's okay. I don't feel so bad." I think that's when I fell back asleep. I had been shot through the upper arm. It hadn't hit the bone. If it had I would have needed surgery. As it was the doctor wanted to see me back in a week to make sure all of my muscle tissue was healing properly. Tank said they kept me overnight. I vaguely remember the doctor sending me home in a sling with instructions for changing the bandages. Then Tank saying that they didn't catch the skip. That conversation is rather vivid actually.  
  
"Hey Steph."  
  
"Hey. When do I get outta here?"  
  
"Soon. I gotta talk to you."  
  
"Sure, shoot." I gave a little giggle at my inside joke. Tank just grimaced.  
  
"We have a small problem."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"We didn't catch the skip."  
  
"And?"  
  
"He's not such a good guy bombshell. We think you might not be safe."  
  
"That's not good."  
  
"No. We want to put you into a safe house. Just for a few days."  
  
"What about Valentines day?"  
  
"Bombshell this guy could put a real crimp in your plans if you know what I mean." I frowned at that. I really didn't like the idea of a safe house. Then again, this guy had shot me once, why wouldn't he do it again? So I really didn't have a choice. It wasn't like I had a date anyway.  
  
"A safe house?" Tank smiled and it was more mischievous than happy.  
  
"Safest house we got." 


	3. Safe House

DISCLAIMER: SEE CH 1. Don't own them. Any resemblance to person or persons in real life is completely on purpose.  
  
CHAPTER TWO  
  
The painkillers knocked me out through most of the ride, so I don't remember where we went or how long it took to get there. In fact I don't remember much until the next morning. The bedside clock read 9:13 am Thurs. Feb. 13. This is how I knew I wasn't home. My alarm clock was never this helpful. I was in a lot of pain and it took a moment to remember it was because I had been shot, and then another to realize I was lying on my injured arm. There was a note from Tank next to the clock. I sat up and read:  
  
Good Morning Bombshell, I thought you'd like to sleep in. You have the house to yourself, but there are people watching it 'round the clock. The alarm code is 031291 and it's already been set. Just remember to call me if you need something and DON'T LEAVE. That's why they call it a safe house. I'll be stopping by later, the fridge should be stocked. Feel free to look around. There should be breakfast waiting for you. Good luck, Steph. See ya soon.  
  
Tank  
  
P.S. The kitchen is all the way down the hallway on your left.  
  
The painkillers were by the bed next to a glass of water so I read the instructions on the bottle. 'One every four to six hours as needed'. Well I definitely needed it now. I wanted to take two, but I resisted. I was hungry and if the bedroom was any indication I should have accepted all of Ranger's past offers for a safe house. It was practically the size of my whole apartment decorated in shades of green and white. The bed sheets were white and the comforter was a dark forest green with little gold designs on it. The furniture was dark mahogany with gold accents. I think I could look at this room all day, but the smell of bacon and eggs was drifting into the room and making my stomach growl.  
  
The bedroom was at the end of a 40 or 50 foot hallway. There were three doors on the right and two on the left. They were all wooden doors, dark mahogany, just like the bedroom. I would explore those later. The house was only one story but the hallway was slightly higher than the living room, dining room, and kitchen so that there were four steps leading down into one big open area. The kitchen was on the left, just like the letter said, and nearly took my breath away. All of the countertops and other surfaces were black marble. The floor was white marble and the rest was stainless steel. There was a large island of black marble in the center of the room and above it was one of those pot racks. The stove had one of those surfaces for frying as well as the burners for the pots. There was currently a large man scrambling eggs and frying bacon. He turned around and it was Lester.  
  
"Hey bombshell. Feeling better?"  
  
"Yeah. Still hurts, but the pain pills will kick in soon. What are you doing here?"  
  
"Tank thought you might like breakfast. He figured you wouldn't feel like making it though."  
  
"So you came over here and made me breakfast?"  
  
"Yeah. My girlfriend wasn't too happy, but she'll survive. Besides, I wanted to see the house."  
  
"You haven't seen it before?"  
  
"Tank and Ranger are the only ones who've seen this."  
  
"Why?" He hesitated like he didn't want to tell me something.  
  
"Uh, it's . . . new."  
  
"Oh." New? And extremely well furnished? Was there something wrong with this picture? Oh, there's that floaty feeling again. I like this. And breakfast looks really good.  
  
"Well, my work here is done. I'm gonna go and try and repair the damage. Just put the dishes in the dishwasher when you're done." He motioned to the machine like I couldn't have figured out where it was on my own. We waved goodbye and I sat down to eat. The bacon tasted kind of funny, so I decided not to eat it, but the eggs were fantastic. I had a second helping and it quieted my stomach. I put the dishes in the dishwasher and decided that I'd better start exploring.  
  
What better place to start than the room I was already in? I went over to my favorite part, the fridge. It was well stocked but the food was too healthy for my tastes. I found out why the bacon tasted funny, it was turkey bacon. That was just wrong. Bacon is made from pigs and anything else is against nature. The pantry was well stocked and I don't think there was a speck of dirt in the whole place. The kitchen opened up into the living room/dining room, which was done in shades of gray and gray-blue. The dining room table was large and light pine with white marble inlay. A small chandelier hung above it. The living room sofas were white and unbelievably soft and comfortable, I know because I tried all three of them. They made a semicircle around what looked like one of those entertainment systems that rise up from the floor. There was an alcove with another unbelievably soft loveseat in front of a black marble fireplace. The carpet was a medium gray color, but the steps I had come down were also made of white marble.  
  
That gave way to a slightly more realistic hallway. The hallway was painted a dark navy blue and the light fixtures were semicircles of frosted glass with gold edging. I decided to look in the first door on the left. It was some kind of game room. There was a pool table and a mini-bar. The floor was wood paneling and there was also a big screen TV with all sorts of Nintendo games lying around on the floor to the side. There was a chair and another loveseat in front of the TV. I knew I could have fun in this room.  
  
I decided to check out the first door on the right side. It was a bathroom. A very large bathroom. It was done in shades of teal. The tiles were teal with what looked like jewels randomly placed in them. It had a shower/tub combo and the mirror was framed in gold. I was beginning to see a theme here. The second doorway on the right was a huge surprise. It was a little girl's room, complete with pink wallpaper and a pink canopy bed. The funny thing was it looked like it was never used, just like the rest of the house. There were toys in one of those nets in the corner, and a desk with hello kitty stationary. There was even a dollhouse. This room was kind of creepy. Why would a little girl's room be in a safe house? I mean, a kid's room I can understand, but why for a girl? I left that room more confused than ever.  
  
The second doorway on the left was a hall closet. A walk-in hall closet. That was pretty boring considering mine was the only coat in there. The last door on the left was a library. It was the kind of library you see in all the mansions on TV only smaller. Books lined the walls in mahogany bookcases and the furniture was brown leather. There were three reclining chairs set in a triangle all facing each other and there was a tea table set in the center. I was feeling very groggy at this point and decided to go back to bed.  
  
The bedroom that I had only barely noticed before now had my full attention. The bed was the centerpiece of the room. It was huge with a canopy of the same material as the comforter. There was a dresser and a stereo system along with a desk complete with a computer I probably couldn't figure out how to turn on. There were two doors on opposite sides of the room. One led to a walk-in closet, which was empty, and the other led to a bathroom about twice the size of the other. There was a bathtub big enough for four of me, and a shower set into the corner with all three sides and the door made of frosted glass. There were three showerheads high up, one on each wall. The whole bathroom was white with gold faucets and handles.  
  
One thing the whole house had in common though was the fact that nothing was personalized. I walked back into the bedroom and flopped on to the bed facedown. It probably would have hurt if I hadn't been on such pretty pills. I must have fallen asleep because Tank woke me up around 2:00.  
  
"Have a good nap bombshell?"  
  
"Yeah. I'm, feeling pretty good."  
  
"Good enough to head out?"  
  
"Head out where?"  
  
"Shopping. Ya gotta spend your five grand."  
  
"Sorry. That's going to pay my bills."  
  
"Bills are already paid, bombshell."  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"You went above and beyond the call of duty. Therefore you get paid more."  
  
"I didn't think you'd caught him yet."  
  
"We haven't. But we know where he'll be tomorrow."  
  
"Valentines Day."  
  
"Yup."  
  
"So, what do you say? Suzie thinks you might want to get out."  
  
"I'm going shopping with your wife?"  
  
"Well, Lester and I are going to follow you around just in case, but yeah." I though about all the practical things I could do with that money. I could pay next months rent, or fill up my fridge, or go shopping with Suzie. Yeah, that last one sounded good.  
  
"Okay, sure. I'd love to meet Suzie."  
  
"And she'd love to meet you bombshell. In fact she can't wait." 


	4. Shopping with Suzie

Disclaimer: As always, I don't own 'em . . .  
  
A/N: Sorry this took so long, major writer's block. It's gone now . . . I hope.  
  
CHAPTER FOUR/THREE  
  
Tank helped me up and I let out a yelp when I looked down at my body. I was still in my pajamas. I probably didn't want to think about how I got into them in the first place. Tank laughed.  
  
"I brought a few of your things from home. Clothes are in that dresser by the wall and some of your personal items are already in the bathroom. I'll wait if you want to take a shower." I thought about Tank rooting around in my home but decided to be grateful rather than embarrassed.  
  
"I thought I was only staying a couple of days."  
  
"Just in case bombshell. I'll let you get ready."  
  
"Tank."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Who changed my clothes?" He gave me a wolf grin and walked out of the room.  
  
It took me nearly 20 minutes in the shower because my arm still hurt a lot. I'm sure the doctor made arrangements for physical therapy, but I don't remember a thing. Tank probably will. I looked in the dresser and sure enough, my clothes were in there. I chose a pair of jeans and a white button-up blouse. I had a brief thought that I should be embarrassed that Tank had packed all my sexy underwear, but what did I expect? Tank must have packed using the same bag that I took to Vegas with me because in between two shirts was a picture of me, Lula, and Connie at Caesar's Palace. I set it on the dresser and moved to the bed to change. Getting into the pants and underwear was only a small problem, but I quickly realized getting into the bra was not going to be possible without help. Someone must have been reading my mind because there was a knock on the door. I was so relived when I opened the door, I forgot who the only other person in the house was. Tank had the grace to look embarrassed and only made one or two comments about finally seeing me naked. When I was finally ready Tank handed me my pills and a glass of water. It took only 5 minutes to get to the Mall. I knew that it must be away from the Burg because I had never been here. Not that it mattered, lead me to a Macy's anywhere and I'm home.  
  
I was surprised when I finally met Suzie. I'd seen pictures of her but they were the family portrait kind with her and Tank sitting with the boys on their laps. In real life she was short, around 5'3''. Tank, being over six feet towered over her. I wasn't surprised, though, when I saw them together. Two things were very clear, Suzie and Tank were completely in love, and he was completely whipped. Suzie and I shook hands and exchanged 'Nice to meet you's,' and she gave me a quick once over.  
  
"You didn't get into those clothes alone." I didn't know what to say. This was possibly the worst first impression I could have made on this woman. I looked up at Tank but he just gave Suzie the widest smile I've ever seen from any of Ranger's men.  
  
"I got to see her naked." I hid my face in my hands. This was one of the most embarrassing moments of my life. I felt her arm loop through mine and I looked at her. She smiled at me and led me away as she yelled, "Pervert!" over her shoulder to Tank. She led me straight to Macy's and in spite of the Pink and White hearts all over the place I immediately felt better. They were having a Sale and for a minute I was sure that the bullet had hit it's target and I had died and gone to Heaven.  
  
Lester showed up a few minutes later and they escorted us through the store. Tolerating with loud protests our stopping to model everything from Turtleneck knit sweaters to string bikinis, including all kinds of jewelry. I was self-conscious about my shoulder but Suzie said not to worry. Many, many, many outfits later the guys left Macy's weighed down with bags, none containing men's clothing. As we were getting ready to leave a small shop caught my eye and I walked in without thinking.  
  
"Where are you going?" Suzie asked.  
  
"I don't know . . . I'm staying in this safe hose and it's gorgeous, but it's practically empty. I found a picture in my things and thought I'd get a frame for it." I looked at Suzie and she had this small smile on her face. I had the feeling this was a private joke that I was on the outside of.  
  
"You know Steph, I think that's a great idea. Maybe you can find some other things to liven up the place."  
  
"I won't be staying there that long . . . will I?" I looked at Tank.  
  
"Nah, but you could always take them with you when you leave." So that's exactly what I did. I found a beautiful gold picture frame with small emerald jewels inlaid around the inside of the frame, it cost almost as much as the print of Thomas Kinkaid's "The hidden cottage" that I bought, and nearly twice as much as the old English silver candlesticks.  
  
"Plan on staying for a while bombshell?" This from Lester, who had barely said two words the whole day.  
  
"I can use these at home, really." They all looked at each other and smiled. I was having a great time, but I was really getting tired of being the outsider. 


	5. man of mystery?

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em, wish I did, isn't this getting old? 

A/N: I took some liberties with ages and time periods here, so let me know if I messed something up.

CHAPTER FIVE

We had dinner at a nice little Thai restaurant, a rare find within 100 miles of the burg, and I didn't think we were that far out. The food was fantastic, that is when I wasn't laughing and could actually take a bite of my food. I was entertained by stories of little Michael and David's first steps and first tastes, pretty much first everything's.

"We get Isabella to baby-sit whenever she comes up from Miami. She loves it." Lester and Tank looked at Suzie like she'd said something wrong, and I thought I knew what it was.

"Is that Ranger's daughter?" Now all three looked at me like I had sprouted a second head.

"How did you know Rick had a daughter?" Suzie asked.

"He told me." It seemed like a simple enough answer.

"When?" This from Lester.

"A year or so ago."

"Why?" Tank asked, I felt like this was something significant, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

"I asked." They all looked at each other again and I decided I'd had enough.

"Okay, look. I'm tired of being the outsider here. So let me in on what's so significant about this, or stop giving each other those looks." Suzie was the first to speak.

"Ric doesn't just tell anyone about his life. Most of his own men don't even know he was married, let alone that he has a daughter. That information could be very dangerous if the wrong people knew."

"That sounded like a line from a bad movie. How could anyone have enemies like that?" Right, because I don't have enemies like that. Oh, wait . . .

"Stolle was willing to use you to get Ranger." Lester added.

"Yeah, I still don't get that. What would make him think that Ranger would risk his life to rescue me?"

"Ric is fiercely protective of those he cares about."

"Are you saying he cares about me?" Just then the waitress came with the check. Everyone except me seemed very willing to move on to another subject. I would just have to wheedle it out of someone later.

I made the rest of them stop off at the grocery store for some edible food. You know, Ice cream, popcorn, some red meat, real bacon, and a few other things. I decided to grill Suzie for information, since the guys had stayed in the car.

"You know, you guys never answered my question earlier. Does Ranger care about me?"

"Has he said so?"

"Once or twice, but I can never tell whether he means friendship, or something more."

"Ric's like that sometimes."

"Do you know where he is?"

"In Miami."

"I thought as much. Is that where he goes all the time?"

"Not all the time, but most of the shorter trips, yeah."

"Oh." So Ranger cared about me and was visiting his daughter, what else did I want to know?

"So how did Ranger and Tank meet?"

"They were in the Army together."

"Were you guys already married?"

"No, we met later. When Ric and Tom got out of the Army their first business venture was in Miami. They set up a security company there. Tom and I met on the beach. He was doing surveillance and I wouldn't leave him alone." That got a questioning look from me. She laughed. "I thought he was cute so I went up and started talking to him. He said he was working, but I wouldn't let him go until he agreed to have dinner with me. Anything else you want to know?"

"How much time do you have?"

"C'mon, this is fun. I'll tell you everything, on one condition."

"What?"

"You let me see the look on Ric's face when he finds out he isn't the man of mystery anymore."

"Deal. Just start at the beginning. I want to know everything."

Apparently Ranger was born two months before me in Miami, Florida to Clara and Carlos Manoso. He has two brothers and three sisters. Elena is the oldest at 36, then Marcus 34, Ricardo 32, Maria 29, Daniel 27, and Cecilia 24. When he was 17 his parents moved up here. Suzie wasn't clear on the why. Marcus and Elena were already at College in Miami, so when it was Ranger's turn, he decided to stick close to his family. He attended Rutgers roughly the same time I did. I searched my memory trying to remember if I'd seen him around town during the two years he was there but I couldn't remember him. He met a young girl who was only a year younger than him. They dated and finally decided to get married. The relationship deteriorated from there. Ric wasn't a good husband and Angela wasn't a good wife. They thought, being young, that a child was the way to solve that. Unfortunately that only made things worse. They fought almost constantly after Isabella's birth and after a few months he decided that it was time to run away from home.

He joined the Army, and somehow it was decided that he was good enough for the Rangers. That's where he met Tank, or Thomas, as he was known back then. Suzie was unclear about all that happened in the Army and none of the men really liked to talk about it. He served Six years before leaving with an honorable discharge. By this time his family, including Angela and Isabella, had moved back to Miami and he convinced Tank to come with him and start their own business. Tank, having been discharged for failing eyesight (this was before Lasic surgery) decided it was going to be the best offer he got. The security business was booming, unfortunately Rangeman Enterprises had to start out at the bottom, mostly private detective work, and some skip tracing. They were even forced to take one or two government contracts. Then they caught a couple of good cases and their names spread like wildfire. Rangeman was one of the hottest security firms in Florida.

Unfortunately Angela and Ranger still couldn't get along. They divorced and she sued for custody. Because of the nature of his job, it was granted. He was allowed weekend visitations every two weeks. Unfortunately Angela's schedule conveniently prohibited him from being able to see her. He took her to court again, but nothing was done. He couldn't stand being that close to his daughter and not seeing her. He decided to move back to Jersey. California would've been a better place, but for some unknown reason he was drawn here. He left his brother Marcus in charge of the firm in Miami and came down here. He opened Rangeman headquarters but decided that he would work for Vinnie as a Bounty Hunter also. Suzie couldn't tell why he chose Vinnie instead of Les considering Les had the bigger business. That was almost four years ago.

He'd been here for a little over a year when he began teaching me. Suzie said he'd never done this for anyone, not even Jean Ellen. Lester taught her everything. This story, with only a few interruptions by me lasted till we got back to the house and even a few minutes of talking outside. The guys didn't seem to happy with her but they wisely didn't say anything.

I had a lot to think about and it was only 10 o'clock so after the good- byes were said, I went inside and checked the alarm, and I put away my groceries. Then I went straight to the game room I'd seen this morning and sure enough I found what I was looking for. The movie collection was extensive but luckily right up in front, still in its packaging was my favorite: "Ghostbusters". I popped some popcorn, took my pills, set the alarm clock, and sat down to watch the movie. I don't remember seeing the end.


End file.
